FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.

Gemstone; Sapphire.

Flower; Aster.

The name of September comes from the Roman word 'septum' which means seven. In the old Roman calendar it was the seventh month of the year.

The Anglo – Saxon name of this month was 'Gerst monath' ( Barley Month ), as it was during this month that they harvested the barley that they used to make their favourite drink ( Barley brew ) similar to todays beer. It was also called 'Haefest month', or Harvest month.

The Romans thought that this month was looked after by one of the Gods, Vulcan the God of fire and they expected September to be a month of fires and volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

VulcanThe God Of Fire.

The Julian Calendar.

Until the year of 1752, this was the calendar that we used in Britain. It was based on the 'Solar year' the length of time it took for the Earth to rotate around the Sun. It was however found to be less accurate than the 'Gregorian Calendar', so it was decided to change over to this new system.

The Gregorian Calendar.

This is the calendar mostly used now. It was named after 'Pope Gregory X111' who introduced it in 1582. There is a leap year every forth year. The calendar corresponds closely to the 'Astronomical' year which has 365.24219 days so it is just one day out every 3,300 years, where as the 'Julian calendar' is 365.25 days long which is a fraction longer, so over time it fell out of line with the seasons. So in 1752 Britain decided to correct this by changing from the 'Julian Calendar' to the 'Gregorian Calendar' but in doing so we lost 11 days as the 3rd of September that year (1752 ) became the 14th of September. This caused mayhem with the population of Britain and they took to the streets in protest crying out “ Give us back our 11 days! ' as they thought that their lives had been shortened by the 11 days removed from the month. Also there is nothing recorded in history for those missing days between the 3rd & 13th of September in 1752.

Pope Gregory X111.

Harvest Festival.

Traditionally the harvest festival took place after the harvesting of the corn which began on the 24th of September in Medieval Times.

When all the corn was being gathered in, the celebrations began and one of those was called “The Calling of the Mare”. As the last of the harvest was being cut the farmers raced to beat their neighbours so as not to be the last to gather in their corn and to prove that they had the best reapers. As the last sheaf of corn was cut it would be used to make the rough shape of a 'Mare' which was quickly sent round to the next farmer who had not completed their harvest. The reason being, to say that wild horses would get his corn if he did not get it in quickly. The farmer would run round to the farm next door and throw the Mare over the hedge into the field where the neighbouring farmer was working and then shout Mare, Mare and run off.

The farmer, who received the mare would then work harder to try and beat his neighbour so he could pass the mare on to him. The last farmer to gather in his corn and finish the harvest would then have to keep the mare all year on display for all to see so that everyone knew he had been the last farmer of the year to get in his harvest.

Harvest Time.
(The Modern Reaper.)

What is the Harvest Festival.

The Harvest Festival is to celebrate the gathering of all the food from the land. In Britain we have celebrated the harvest festival since pagan times for the successful harvest of our crops. We do this by singing, praying and decorating our churches with fruits, flowers and crops to give thanks, this is the 'Harvest Festival'.

Harvest Festival.

Corn Dollies.

The corn dolly was supposed to represent the spirit of the Corn Goddess that lived in the corn and it dates back over hundreds of years. We believed that the corn goddess would die when all the corn was cut unless some of it was saved. To keep the corn goddess alive until the sowing of the new seed next spring, a corn dolly was made from the last sheaf of corn from the harvest for her to rest in.

The making of corn dollies has now become a popular hobby at arts and craft centres all over the country. The styles and designs of many corn dollies vary in different areas.

Michaelmas Day.

The feast of 'Saint Michael' the Archangel is celebrated on the 29^th of September. He is the patron saint of the sea, ships and boatmen, of horses and horsemen and of all travellers. He was the Angel who hurled 'Lucifer '( the devil ) down from heaven for his treachery. Michaelmas also used to be the night when the winter curfew began, the first indication that winter was on it's way.

Saint Michael Defeats
The Devil Before He Was Thrown Out Of Heaven.

The Curfew.

The Curfew took the form of the tolling of the church bells, one strike for each of the days of the month that had passed by in the current year and normally began at the stroke of 9pm. Chertsey is one of the last places that continues this practise.

Goose Day.

This was another name for Michaelmas day and was when the Goose Fairs were held. One of the most famous of these is the 'Nottingham Goose Fair' which is still held every year. Traditionally these fairs were held across the country and farmers would take their Geese to the fair, which was also a market. Goose was eaten on Michaelmas day. It became a custom to eat Goose on that day as this was the day when Queen Elizabeth 1^st'was eating one, when she received the news that the Spanish Armada had been defeated. In celebration of this, she said that from this day henceforth she would always eat goose on Michaelmas Day.

Rides at the Goose Fair.

Quarter Day.

Michaelmas day was also a 'Quarter Day', the day when rents were due and all bills had to be paid. Tenants often struggled to find the money to pay their dues, so to seek the indulgence of their landlord they would often present a big fat goose as part payment or to gain a little more time to find the money to pay their bills.

Mop Fairs.

'The Mop Fair' was another day when traditionally every year farm workers along with all their tools, would go to the nearest 'Market Town' where there was a mop fair being held, to offer their services for hire for the following year. A Mop Fair always took place the day after Michaelmas Day.

Weather Lore, Beliefs and Sayings.

The Michaelmas Daises, among dede weeds,

Bloom for St. Michael's valorous deeds.

And seems the last of flowers that stood,

Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.

( The feast of St. Michael and St. Jude is on the 28^th of October. )

Eat a goose on Michaels Day,

And want not for money all the year.

He who eats goose on Michaelmas Day,

Shan't money lack or hath debts to pay.

If St. Michael brings many Acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.

A dark Michaelmas, a light Christmas.

Some of our Grand Parents may remember being told as a child not to pick the fruits of the 'Blackberry' bush after Michaelmas. The reason for this was that on St. Michael's Feast Day when the Devil was kicked out of heaven he landed in a 'Bramble bush' and so it is said that he cursed it by scorching it with his fiery breath, stamping on it with his feet then spitting on it and therefore generally making the fruits of the Bramble bush unfit to eat. Legend says that he renews his curse every year on Michaelmas Day.

The 'Victorians' believed that Michaelmas day was the best day of the year to plant a tree, as they always grew better when planted on this day.

Festivals and Traditions.

A game played by children at this time of the year is 'Conkers'. The fruit of the 'Horse Chestnut Tree' sheds its nuts at this time of the year. Traditionally children would gather the nuts to play the game of conkers. On finding your first conker of the season, you were supposed to recite the following verse; “Oddly, oddly onker you are my first conker'. This would ensure when playing the game, you had good fortune and therefore had less tangles.

The Horn Dance.

In Staffordshire in the village of Abbots Bromley every year, on the first Monday after the 4^th of September, they perform the old custom of having a Horn Dance. This custom goes back over 800 years. It involves two teams of dancers accompanied by their followers; Maid Marion, Robin Hood, a Fool and a man on a Hobby Horse. This old pagan custom involves two teams of dancers carrying some very old horns ( antlers ) from the heads of some deer, one set painted white the other painted blue. Each team dances towards the other as if to fight, they then go backwards and then move forwards again as if they are to lock their horns together, similar to two stags ( male deer ) behaviour during the Rut ( the mating season ). The dance lasts all day long as they travel around the village playing music and performing the dance at surrounding farms and the village pubs. The distance they cover is around ten miles.